


The Early Bird DOES NOT Get The Worm

by AshJuillet



Series: Challenges [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Early Mornings, Gen, Good Regulus Black, Pride and Prejudice References, Quidditch, Sirius Black & James Potter Friendship, Sirius Black is a Little Shit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-14
Updated: 2021-01-14
Packaged: 2021-03-12 05:15:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,943
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28755006
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AshJuillet/pseuds/AshJuillet
Summary: Sirius decides to wake up early for James' debut match, but unfortunately for him, things don't go as he'd hoped. AU.
Relationships: Regulus Black & Sirius Black, Sirius Black & Remus Lupin
Series: Challenges [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2108157
Kudos: 14





	The Early Bird DOES NOT Get The Worm

July, 1980

The moment the sunlight streamed through the gap in the thick maroon curtains, Sirius’ eyes snapped open wide as he rolled over and over until he fell off his large bed, tangled up in his covers. He rolled around until he managed to extract his gangly limbs and shot upright, a wide grin on his face.

“Reggie? Where are you?” he yelled, running out of his room at breakneck speed. He pounded his fist on his brother’s door. “Mate, we’ve got a game to get to! Prongs’ playing today! Hurry up! We can’t be late!”

Regulus opened the door a smidge and squinted at him with annoyance. “What is wrong with you? Have you  _ seen _ the time? Who even gets up at this ungodly hour?”

“Reggie! It’s the Arrows versus Wasps match! James— _ our _ James—is playing! It’s his first match as a professional Quidditch player, Reg! How could you  _ not _ be excited?”

“I am excited. On the inside,” Regulus deadpanned, ready to close the door. “I’ll be even more excited once I get some much-needed sleep.”

“No, you’re going to get ready with me! Come on, Reggie!” Sirius’ enthusiasm only caused Regulus to bristle with irritation, and he glared at him through bleary eyes.

“No, I’m  _ not _ doing this right now,” Regulus muttered, slamming the door in Sirius’ face. His voice was muffled through the door, but Sirius heard him. “Wake me up in two hours.”

“Hmph.” Sirius stuck his tongue out at the door. “If he wants to be late, that’s his choice.  _ I’m _ going to be the first one to get to the stadium.”

He decided to forgo eating breakfast and went back to his room to begin getting ready for the match. Pulling on his Appleby Arrows Quidditch jersey that James had bought for him a few months ago, he muttered, “Now, where are those sunglasses? I need to look good… Aha! Found them!”

He shoved the sunglasses in his jersey’s pocket and began to painstakingly comb and style his hair until every strand was perfect. Sirius had always been particular about his hairstyle, and as he inspected his reflection, the mirror said, “Your hair looks  _ glorious _ ! I’d give it a ten.”

Sirius smirked as he blew a kiss at the mirror before walking over to his cupboard. As he looked for the Muggle paints Remus had bought for him a couple of years ago, he began to sing the Arrows’ anthem at the top of his voice. He had just started singing the second verse of the song when Regulus began banging on the wall.

“Shut up, Sirius! Merlin, you’re  _ so _ annoying!” he screamed, and Sirius stuck his tongue out at the wall even though Regulus couldn’t see him.

“Ugh, this is ridiculous,” he grumbled, pulling out his wand.  _ ‘How Evans even uses Muggle methods is beyond me! _ ’ “Accio paints!”

In an instant, the watercolours flew out from the drawers beside his bed and were in his hand. ‘ _ Oh, I forgot I put them there _ ,’ he thought sheepishly. ‘ _ And now, for the fun part.’  _

Ever since he had graduated from Hogwarts, Regulus had opted to live in Sirius’ flat—who had been disowned a few years ago—in Muggle London rather than go back to Grimmauld Place, where his mother would inevitably try forcing him into joining the Wizengamot to represent the Blacks. Unfortunately for her, Regulus had no wish to join politics and was more inclined to becoming a Master of Defence Against the Dark Arts.

Sirius grinned deviously as he went back to Regulus’ room and began to bang on the door. “Reggie? Are you in there? Do you want to help me?”

A few moments later, Regulus opened the door, a murderous look in his eyes. “What. Do. You. Want?” he hissed through clenched teeth.

Sirius simply beamed down at him. “I need you to paint silver arrows on my face,” Sirius declared, barging into his room without permission.

Regulus pinched the bridge of his nose and glanced at the grandfather clock outside the room. His eyes widened when he realized the time. “Sirius! Are you crazy? It’s not even six in the morning! What is  _ wrong _ with you?”

Sirius’ bottom lip jutted out as he raised his eyebrows and widened his eyes, tilting his head to the side. The puppy dog expression was Sirius’ patent look when he wanted something desperately, and it had never failed him, especially now that he had a trump card, too.

Regulus stiffened at the sight and narrowed his gaze at him. “That’s… that’s not going to work on me,” he said, but the sight was already affecting him. “Sirius, stop that. I mean it.”

Sirius levitated the paints to the bedside table and smirked. At once, his body morphed into his Animagus form and began pawing at Regulus’ feet, wagging his tail excitedly. He whined pitifully as he cocked his head to the left and blinked his eyes slowly up at his younger brother. 

Regulus had learnt the truth about Remus and the others when he had walked in on them talking about the full moon. Fortunately, he hadn’t panicked as much as Snape had—possibly because the werewolf hadn’t been attacking  _ him— _ and had soon grown to accept Remus’ condition as a part of him. Unfortunately, that meant Sirius was able to manipulate him by using his Animagus form.

“ _ You _ are a jerk,” Regulus grumbled, but he stepped to the side and pointed at the bed. “This is the last time I’m helping you out. Next time, go bother someone else.”

Sirius immediately transformed back and threw his arms around Regulus’ shoulders. “Thanks, Reg! I owe you one!” He ran to the bed and jumped onto it, bouncing in the process.

_‘I need to start tracking his claims of_ owing me one.’ Regulus rolled his eyes as he picked up the paints and settled down opposite his brother. Unexpectedly, a brilliant idea formed in his mind as he took in Sirius’ hopeful expression, but he made sure to keep his face expressionless. “Tell me what you want so that I can go back to bed soon.”

“Paint silver arrows on my face. Ooh, also outline them with blue.”

“Fine.” Regulus sighed as he picked up the paintbrush and dipped it into the black metallic paint before mixing it with the white. Poker-faced, he drew little silver arrows on Sirius’ forehead, making sure there was a certain gap between them. When Sirius began to shift and fidget restlessly, Regulus slapped his arm to stop him from moving. The two brothers glared at each other for a moment before Regulus gave in and continued painting.

When he had outlined the arrows with pale blue paint, Regulus inquired, “Do you want to make the paint shine, too? What about making it semi-permanent? There’s obviously a chance of rain ruining the match today.”

“Yeah, make the arrows shine like the star I am! Oh, add an Impervius Charm as well,” Sirius ordered, closing his eyes, and Regulus finally let the smirk form on his face as he waved his wand over the ex-Gryffindor’s face.

“All done. Now, leave me alone, and let me get my beauty sleep.”

“You’ll never be as good-looking as me, little brother,” Sirius taunted, reaching out to ruffle Regulus’ hair. “Especially with that Hippogriff’s nest you call hair.”

“You’re right. I won’t be as good-looking as you… I’ll always be  _ better _ .” Sirius squawked in indignation and raised his hand to smack Regulus, but the younger Black quickly cried, “ _ Depulso!  _ Bye, bye, brother dear!”

Sirius harrumphed as he grumbled about Regulus’ insolence, but he soon regained his enthusiasm about the match. Gathering the rest of the materials he needed in a small pouch—which had an Undetectable Extension Charm on it—he hurried to the fireplace and Flooed directly into Remus’ cottage. 

Remus lay slumped on the couch with a book lying upside down on the floor, drool dripping down his jaw. 

Sirius threw himself on top of Remus and grabbed his face in both hands, puffing his cheeks. “Good morning, Moony! Howl you doin’?”

Having accustomed himself to the black-haired man’s antics by then, Remus simply swatted him away with his hand, not bothering to open his eyes. “Go away, Pads. I didn’t sleep last night.”

“I  _ would  _ ask you about a hot date, but by the looks of it, the only hot date you had was with”–Sirius squinted at the book on the ground and immediately recognized the story, as Remus had read it many times before–“that Mr Darcy bloke you love.”

Remus groaned and rolled over, trying to hide his face in the cushions. “Leave me alone, Pads.”

“Prongs’ match is  _ today _ ! Why is no one excited for it? What’s wrong with you people?” Sirius dramatically fell onto Remus, his arms and legs sprawled on either side of him. “Am I the only one who loves Prongs? Huh? Do you want me to tell him that you don’t love him?”

Remus sighed and pushed him off, grumbling under his breath about all Blacks being dramatic little gits. He yawned as he sat up and said, “Fine, I’ll be at the match soon. Just let me get some sleep.”

“No! You’re coming with me  _ now _ !” Sirius jumped to his feet and hauled Remus onto his shoulder. “We are  _ not  _ going to miss our boy’s first appearance. At. Any. Cost.”

Having shared a dorm room for seven years and woken up naked after a full moon, the Marauders didn’t think twice about getting dressed in front of each other. Therefore, Remus closed his eyes and went back to sleep, allowing Sirius to dress him up in a silver-coloured button-down shirt and blue slacks.

Once Sirius was sure Remus looked prepared for the match, he threw him onto his shoulder once again and Apparated them to the Ilkley Moor Quidditch Stadium, where the match was to be held.

The stadium was shaped like a dome, and almost ten thousand spectators could be seated inside. When he saw there wasn’t any guard at the gates, Sirius laughed heartily and entered without presenting his ticket. 

“This is going to be totally awesome!” he exclaimed, shifting Remus’ weight as he made his way up to the higher stands from where they would be able to see the players better. “Oh, Remus, mate, you’re going to miss this!”

Despite the jostling, Remus, on the other hand, remained fast asleep, his jaw slightly unhinged as he swayed on Sirius’ shoulder. He could sleep like the dead when he wanted, and having spent the entire night quietly sobbing over Mr Darcy’s complex character, he was adamant on sleeping in late.

Sirius bounded up the stairs, whistling the Arrows’ theme song. When he reached the top, he huffed and dropped Remus onto the ground with a soft thud. Poor Remus was so tired that he simply curled up in a ball and began to snore. Sirius glanced at him and rolled his eyes good-naturedly. He turned towards the Quidditch pitch and grinned as he bounced on the balls of his feet. 

“I can’t wait for the match to begin!” he said out loud, already buzzing with excitement.

He knew it would be James’ first public appearance as a Chaser for the Appleby Arrows, and he was determined to show everyone that he would always stand by his best friend and his team. To make his allegiance more obvious, he pulled out his pouch and began to Levitate the large banners—with James’ grinning face plastered on them—overhead. 

The Charmed megaphones were next. The moment they appeared, they began to sing in unison, “Ready? Okay! We’re fired up; we’re sizzling hot! We’ve got the heat; we will not stop! When it comes to Quidditch, we can’t be beat! Go, Appleby Arrows’ team! Woo!”

Remus grimaced in his sleep as he raised his hands to cover his ears, and Sirius quickly Silenced the sound before he could be scolded. He then searched his bag for the snacks he had filched from Regulus’ room a few days ago and laid them all out in front of him, covering the pasties and apple pie with a Stasis Charm to keep them fresh. “Where’s that batch of Chocolate Frogs?” he muttered, his arm halfway inside the pouch. “Merlin! I forgot the Frogs! Damn it! Oh, well, at least I have the Sugar Quills.”

He rifled through the contents of his bag, practising his cheers for the Arrows, and then, he found the glitter. “I almost forgot about this!” he exclaimed as he yanked the cover off and dipped his finger into the sparkling glitter. When he tossed the glitter up in the air, he Charmed it to remain airborne.

A devious smirk played on his lips as he turned towards Remus, who was softly snoring with his mouth open. Sirius poured some glitter in his hand and sprinkled it in Remus’ hair. “You’ll shine like the moon, Moony,” he whispered and snickered at his joke.

Sirius soon got bored and began to pace up and down the stairs, waiting for more people to arrive for the match. The Arrows and Wasps had had a very tense rivalry for decades; their discord was legendary. So, it came as a surprise to him that no one had bothered to show up early. Personally offended by the public’s apathy, he scowled and walked back to Remus’ side.

“Moon-moon, wake up,” he grumbled, lightly nudging him with his foot. 

When Remus didn’t budge, he yelled but still didn’t get a response. Finally, he sighed and searched for a bar of chocolate in his pouch. Fortunately, he had stolen one from under Regulus’ pillow, and he beamed as he unwrapped it and slowly waved it under Remus’ nose. “Wakey, wakey… I’ve got some  _ chocolate _ for you.”

The glorious scent of chocolate had always managed to wake Remus up from his sleep, and it wasn’t any different this time either. His eyes slowly fluttered open, his breath hitching at the delicious aroma, and he yawned, reaching out for the bar. “Hand it over, Pads.” His voice was rough and low in pitch, his eyes crusty and slightly red-rimmed. 

Sirius dutifully tossed him the chocolate, and Remus ravenously gobbled it down, licking his lips when he was done and sneezing when some of the glitter flew into his nose. “Why’s the stadium still empty?” he questioned, squinting at the vacant stands.

“I don’t  _ know _ ! It’s Prongs’ first match, and even the team’s not here!” Sirius complained loudly, kicking the nearest seat and grimacing in pain. “Merlin, why—”

“What’s that on your face?” Remus pointed, frowning at Sirius. “There’s something written on your forehead.”

“Reggie painted arrows on my face to show my commitment to the Arrows,” Sirius said, his chest puffing out with pride.

“Uh… Those are definitely arrows, but they spell out a word,” Remus said, pursing his lips to hide his laughter when he realized what the word was.

“What does it say? I didn’t look at it in the mirror before I came over to fetch you. Does it say ‘Potter’?”

“Actually, it says”—Remus’ shoulders trembled with suppressed laughter—“pillock.”

“What?” Sirius shrieked, rubbing at his forehead immediately, but Regulus had cast a powerful Impervius on it, which meant that the paint wouldn’t come off until the spell wore off. “Merlin’s beard, Reggie! I’m going to kill him! That little git is going to—”

Just then, a man dressed in a caretaker’s uniform whistled from the opposite stands to grab their attention. When Sirius and Remus turned to look at him, the man yelled, “Oy! Wot ‘re ya doin’ up there? Daan’t ya kna the bloomin’ stadium’s closed?”

“It’s  _ what _ ?” Sirius screamed back, dumbstruck by the man’s question. “It can’t be closed, mate! The Arrows and Wasps are playing today!”

The man burst into hearty guffaws that echoed around the arena. “You’re bloody Mum and Dad, ya ‘re! Itch and Scratch ain’t today! It’s tomorra!”

“The hell did he say?” Sirius asked Remus, whose mouth was wide open with disbelief. “Moony? Do you have any idea what he said?”

“He just called you mad because the match isn’t  _ today— _ it’s  _ tomorrow!”  _ Remus dropped his head into his palms and muttered, “You really are an idiot, aren’t you?”

“No! The match is  _ today _ ! Evans told me it was on Wednesday!” Sirius argued vehemently, searching his pocket for the ticket. He pulled it out and shoved it in Remus’ face. “See? It’s Wednesday! The twenty-third of July!”

Remus stared at Sirius for a few moments before he reached out and smacked his head. Sirius cried out in pain and glared at him. “What did you do that for?”

“You. Are. An. Imbecile,” Remus said, sounding so much like Snape that it horrified Sirius for a moment. “You clearly cannot be trusted to read the date, can you? Today’s the twenty _ -second _ —not the twenty- _ third _ !”

For the first time ever, Sirius was at a loss for words. He gaped at Remus, who rolled his eyes and stood up to stretch his legs. “I…”

“Will always look at the calendar before doing something moronic again,” Remus concluded for him, wandlessly Banishing the banner, megaphones and treats back into Sirius’ pouch. He chuckled and said, “The others will think this is hilarious.”

“Don’t you  _ dare _ tell anyone!” Sirius yelled, but Remus cackled in delight as he ran down the stairs. “Remus! No!”

By the time Sirius reached the gates, Remus was long gone. He groaned and ran his hand over his face. “Merlin, there’s no way they’ll let me live this down.”

**Author's Note:**

> Please read and review! Thanks!


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